Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation (Pink Sheets:VTSS), a leader in
high-speed communication IC solutions, announced today the VSC3406, a
6.375 Gigabit per second (Gbps) multi-rate backplane transceiver. The
VSC3406 builds upon Vitesse´s portfolio of proven, industry-recognized
technology, incorporating the latest clock-data recovery (CDR)
techniques and signal integrity toolset for backplane and interconnect
design.
The VSC3406 is the first in a family of CDR products to feature
Vitesse´s new VScope(TM) waveform viewing technology that embeds an
oscilloscope function into the receiver of input CDR circuits. This
comprehensive signal integrity solution gives engineers a single
device that enables both a high-speed transceiver function and
verification mechanism.
"Embedded oscilloscope functionality can potentially lower network
testing and maintenance costs, an ongoing concern for anyone who
manages a network," said Aileen Arcilla, senior analyst -
semiconductors: networking, broadband and storage for International
Data Corporation (IDC). "Providing this means of remote diagnostic
capability can offer telecom carriers and data center managers a more
direct way to verify signal integrity within the data path itself and
take corrective action in a timelier manner."
As the most complete 6 Gbps backplane signal integrity solution
available to date, the VSC3406 6.375 Gbps multi-rate, multi-function
backplane transceiver has six high-speed differential transmit and
receive interfaces, complete with on-chip termination ideal for
interfacing to a variety of media such as PCB traces, cables or
optoelectronic devices connected to optical fiber.
The VSC3406 features a 2-to-1 rate multiplier mode that allows
data "multiplication" up to 6.375Gbps, doubling bandwidth over
existing backplanes. A typical application includes XAUI rate-doubling
for efficient transmission in high-speed backplanes over half the
number of wires. Coupled with the signal equalization function, these
rate multiplier modes can be used to run double and quadruple the
amount of bandwidth over existing copper traces. This gives OEMs the
ability to field-upgrade equipment to handle greater bandwidth by
upgrading line cards and switch cards in existing equipment.
"Vitesse is building upon many years of research, product
developments, customer requirements, and patented innovations with
this new solution for signal integrity. The result is the VSC3406: a
state-of-the-art tool for enabling next-generation Ethernet and
networking systems," said Juan Garza, product marketing manager for
Signal Integrity products at Vitesse. "By integrating our VScope
technology into the device, a new remote diagnostic capability that
contributes to a more reliable network for telecommunications carriers
and data center managers is now available for the first time."
With a single reference clock input, the VSC3406 achieves highly
advanced operations at any data rate between 0.125 Gbps and 6.375
Gbps. The multi-rate CDR of the VSC3406 makes it ideally suited for
next-generation backplanes and communication equipment running a
variety of protocols, including Gigabit Ethernet, XAUI, Fibre Channel,
Serial Attached SCSI (SAS), Serial ATA (SATA) and PCI Express (PCIe).
A fully non-blocking, multicast architecture allows the VSC3406 to
be user-configured via a simple, two-wire serial interface for a broad
range of signal conditioner, retimer, crossbar, or rate multiplication
applications. A high degree of signal integrity is achieved by means
of configurable input and output equalization. Cost-effectiveness is
realized because engineers can use one product across multiple
applications and platforms allowing for maximum re-use and research
and development savings.
Availability and Pricing
General samples of VSC3406 devices will be available in the second
quarter of 2008. The VSC3406 is priced at $60 USD in volume quantities
and is available in an 81-pin, 10mmx10mm FCBGA package.
VScope Waveform Viewing Technology
VScope embedded waveform viewing technology is a per-pin
"micro-oscilloscope" that enables new diagnostic capabilities during
system development, delivering the ability to perform remote
monitoring of live signals on deployed systems. VScope presents system
designers with new dynamics and economics in backplane design, signal
integrity analysis and remote monitoring of communication systems. For
more information about VScope, please visit
http://www.vitesse.com/vscope.
Vitesse to Present at DesignCon 2008
Vitesse will present a paper entitled, "Design and Application of
Embedded Waveform Viewing Technology for Integrated Circuits" at
DesignCon 2008 the week of February 4-7, 2008, at the Santa Clara
Convention Center. Specific presentation time and conference
information can be found at DesignCon website:
http://www.designcon.com/2008/. Show attendees can also visit the
Vitesse booth #812 for a demonstration of VScope.
About Vitesse
Vitesse designs, develops and markets a diverse portfolio of
high-performance, cost-competitive semiconductor solutions for
communications networks worldwide. Engineering excellence and
dedicated customer service distinguish Vitesse as an industry leader
in Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Ethernet-over-SONET, Fibre Channel, Optical
Transport, and other applications. Vitesse innovation empowers
customers to deliver superior products for Enterprise, Access, Metro,
and Core applications. Additional company and product information is
available at www.vitesse.com.
Vitesse is a registered trademark and VScope is a trademark in the
United States and/or other jurisdictions of Vitesse Semiconductor
Corporation. All other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned
herein are the property of their respective holders.
Safe Harbor
Statements made in this release that are not historical facts are
"forward-looking" statements (as defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that involve risks and uncertainties
and are subject to change at any time. These forward-looking
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words such as "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect,"
"hope," "intend," and similar expressions. Factors that could cause
actual results to differ are identified in the public filings made by
Vitesse with the Securities and Exchange Commission and include the
fact that we have disclosed that you should not rely upon our
published financial statements and the fact that we have not filed all
of our reports required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. More
information on factors that could affect our business and financial
results are included in our public filings made with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, which are available on the web site of the
Securities and Exchange Commission, www.sec.gov.
The forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
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by us are not guarantees of future performance, including, but not
limited to, the risks that the recently announced proposed settlement
of certain lawsuits against the Company will not be completed or
approved by the court, that any court approval will be successfully
reversed on appeal, or that the settlement agreement is terminated or
cancelled under its terms. We disclaim any obligation to update any
such factors or to announce publicly the results of any revisions to
any of the forward-looking statements to reflect future events or
developments.
